With the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks both up against the NHL salary cap, if the trade of Dany Heatley to the Sharks turns from rumor to reality, it will obviously be a mega-deal with some star power shifting East. Sun Media’s Bruce Garrioch has all the details today, including the possible involvement of the Montreal Canadiens as a third team. Why would the Habs help the Sens facilitate a deal? Well, that would just add to the reasons to scratch your head about their summer movements.

Garrioch’s competition over at the Ottawa Citizen, Allen Panzeri, has a great look at the free agent market, which has left a number of mid-level players out in the cold. Four years after the ratification of the current collective bargaining agreement, it’s obvious the NHLPA had its rear handed to it on this issue. That’s why the NHL should really back off the whole “lifetime contract issue” or risk really ranking the union and causing strife down the road.